10 Best American Dad! Characters Only In One Episode

Seth MacFarlane's collection of zany animated sitcoms shares many common elements, one being the huge entourage of both major and minor characters unique to each show. Like its peers, Family Guy and The Cleveland Show, American Dad! has its own roster of varied and wildly entertaining characters that can pop in and out of the Smiths' lives at any time.

But for a certain few of these, their first appearance in the town of Langley Falls is also their last. In some cases it's justified, that character having served their purpose with no reason to stick around afterwards; in others, we're given only a glimpse of what they have to offer, yet somehow, they've never reemerged from whatever hole they crawled into after their fifteen minutes of fame.

Either way, both groups represent the true one-hit wonders of American Dad! - those who graced viewers with their presence for less than 20 minutes, but still managed to leave a lasting impression on the show and its followers alike.

It's important to note that this list won't include any of Roger's personas, as, completely unique though they may be, they're all still Roger at the end of the day. In addition, fleeting background cameos do not count - only prominent roles that actively affect the plot of the episode.

Some figures throughout history constantly seem to be ripe for parody, no matter how played out the material is. For a show that's not afraid to 'go there', so to speak, American Dad! is practically sitting on a goldmine concerning opportunities to poke fun at famous (or, should I say, famously dubious) people.

When the Smiths visit a colourful theme park named Familyland, it should be pretty obvious to most what the writers are getting at here. Yep, it's a not-so-subtle nod to Disneyland, and in the centre of the park is a bronze statue of its founder, Roy Family, who, in both appearance and mannerisms, is basically Walt Disney.

Francine unknowingly awakens the frozen Roy from inside the statue (another Disney reference), and, disgusted that his park is now home to the likes of obese children and interracial couples, orders the whole place be locked down.

The trapped park visitors then gradually form several Game of Thrones-esque factions, with Stan, Hayley, Steve and Roger in charge of their own respective regions. Francine and Klaus manage to snap them out of their war by filling the park with the sweet smell of cookies, and, defeated, Roy agrees to go back into hibernation until the world is ready for his vision.

It's the obvious jabs at Disney's infamous intolerances that make the character of Roy Family the entertaining corporate villain he is. Perhaps a future episode may see him awaken to the modern world once again.